1 Maverick Way
Carlsbad, CA 92009
(760) 436-6136 ext. 6020
email: MavLifeNews@gmail.com
www.LCCNews.com
Mav Life is the student newspaper of La Costa Canyon High
School. La Costa Canyon High School student media products are public forums for student expression. Students are
responsible for their work in print publications, online content and video broadcasts, as well as in other products, none
of which are subject to administrative approval. Students
make all final content decisions. Media programs follow
educational best practices as defined by the National Scholastic Press Association, Journalism Education Association,
and Student Press Law Center. In addition, student media
programs work to follow all copyright laws and avoid libel,
slander, and infringing upon the rights of others.
Unsigned editorials represent the opinions of the newspaper
staff, while opinion columns represent the writer’s perspective. Advertisements do not necessarily represent the newspaper’s viewpoint. MavLife, an open forum, welcomes signed
letters on pertinent issues from the community, which may
be submitted to room 804, via e-mail or to Suzi Van Steenbergen’s mailbox in the administrative building. Letters may be
edited for length and clarity.

2 | MavLife | May 2011

Editorial
The opinion of the editorial team

Financial Oversight Needed
Review of Yearbook account raises questions
Over the past five months, MavLife has looked into the ASB budget, which includes all clubs
(including the yearbook and journalism publications), the ASB class, and athletics. The management of money in the school budget is a subject that remains undisclosed to the majority of the
student body. While most accounts appear to be well managed, some questions arose about the
spending methods of yearbook specifically, and about how the school manages the budget overall.
For example, as the reports by Steven Fahy and Brenna Lyles show, technological equipment
makes up as a large chunk of yearbook’s expenditures. Now, while this may be entirely reasonable, we feel that items such as two WiFi-enabled iPads, a case and keyboard for the iPads, and an
iPod classic appear to get little actual student use.
No club should have independent powers to spend on materials that don’t go directly toward
improving student education. Yearbook, because of its fundraising power, must be wise with its
spending strategies in order to provide students with necessary learning materials. The last thing
the school needs is student-funded clubs spending on luxuries rather than necessities.
Independent spending without oversight from the students or the administration can lead to
purchases that could raise questions as to whether the items serve the curriculum of the class.
Such independence often leads to a lack of transparency, and in the case of yearbook, contributes
to a lack of oversight of the club’s expenditures. This laissez-faire attitude allows yearbook to
spend freely with little to no regulation from school authorities.
This lack of transparency runs deep. In order to find a copy of the yearbook contract, for example, Fahy and Lyles contacted Mr. Salas, who did not respond to their request, and Herff Jones
representative Steve Bailey, who declined to provide a copy. They also spoke with Finance Officer Susie Gardner, Assistant Principal Doug Kamon (who oversees yearbook), and Principal Kyle
Ruggles, who contacted the district office for a copy; none of those contacted had a copy of the
yearbook contract.
Further, with all the money that students pour into yearbook through senior ad and yearbook
sales, we find it ironic that as teachers and classes get cut, yearbook’s budget continues to increase.
Another concerning point is the lack of financial assistance for students to purchase yearbooks.
Unlike other schools in the district, scholarships are not provided for low-income students to purchase a yearbook. It appears certain funds could have been made available for students in need,
such as the over $55,000 starting balance in the yearbook account, or the $10,000 LCC Foundation
“contribution” from Herff Jones. It seems wasteful to have thousands of dollars not being used
directly for students, especially those who cannot afford the high yearbook prices.
With the overall school budget leaning towards major clubs like ASB and yearbook, more strict
financial facilitation becomes a necessity. Some of the excess funds being contributed to these
clubs should be awarded to low-income students who can’t otherwise afford to pay for yearbooks
or other school events.

Correction & Resignation
To the readers of MavLife,
In my recent opinion piece concerning the WASC evaluation I must address certain issues in
the quality of story itself. In the story I incorrectly sourced a quotation concerning statistics on the
American education system; those statistics were drawn from the Alliance for Excellent Education
Fact sheet. I would also like to acknowledge that my use of the term “bad review” in reference to
the WASC visit was misleading, as the WASC review while, conveyed to teachers negatively, was
altogether positive.
Due to these two unfortunate but inexcusable mistakes I have chosen to resign from my position as Co-Editor in Chief. I find by not doing so would hurt the credibility of this publication and
set a low standard for future student journalists.
While the eight teachers who have written the response may say I cast a negative shadow on
the American educational system with “dire” and “dismal” statistics I must say that they themselves are all too optimistic with the same statistics. As Americans I do not believe that anyone
finds being 17th in the world in education is a reassuring view of our educational system. While
they say there “is no great disparity” between our scores and other countries, there is enough
disparity for the USA to be placed 17th.
*Continued on Page 3

Educators Taken Aback

News

Response to the WASC opinion piece in the April issue
Dear MavLife,
As dedicated educators, we agree with your
recent “opinion” piece in that we are “proud,
confident and spirited.” We do take exception to
the recent “dire” and “dismal” offering that Hunter
Vurbeff has published. As in any institution, there is
room for improvement at LCC. We have spent great
time researching, analyzing, and making plans
for improving instruction for all students at LCC
through the WASC process. LCC has always done
well with previous accreditation reports.
Hypocrisy was mentioned in the editorial. Vurbeff stated that teachers are: “complaining about
a bad review.” Who is doing this? Where and how
is this substantiated? The final reports do not even
come out until later in the year. The majority of
the report and action plans have been written by
our own on-site WASC committee. If anyone was
“complaining” it was due to a perception of a lack
of professional etiquette from the WASC visiting
team towards our staff. The hypocrisy we see is a
journalist who has not adequately researched the

specific topic. We would like to ask: If Vurbeff feels
so strongly about this school and its involvement in
improvement, why did he not participate in any of
the meetings with WASC teams? Additionally, if he
has any information regarding a “bad review” that
he please come forward and share that with us or
the administration so that we may include it into
our planning.
While Vurbeff cites many “dire” and “dismal”
statistics regarding the national educational experience, he does not cite any specific information
or data regarding LCC other than a platitude that
there “are many stellar teachers.” Vurbeff’s editorial consists for the most part of his rendition of an
older article copied online. He reports research data
chosen by another person for the specific purpose
of lampooning the education system in our country.
If Vurbeff had looked up the original research data
quoted in the article he has copied, he should have
come to a different conclusion.
OECD data from 2009 ranks the United States as

17th of 65 countries. On 6 of 7 reading scales, the
U.S. is above the average of all countries. The same
is true for our science rankings. The only subject
where the U.S. is slightly below is in mathematics.
On all scores, the U.S. falls within a few percentage
points of those countries ranked higher than us.
There is no great disparity in our scores compared
to those higher ranked. When you look at the list of
countries scoring better than us, the top performers are China and Korea. These countries aren’t
required to educate all their students until age 18 as
we are (OECD PISA Database 2009).
We became educators to serve the community
and our country. Teaching is only a portion of what
all hard working educators do. Instilling confidence,
promoting future leaders and providing a sense
of optimism are functions of our daily work that
cannot be measured. We will continue to support
MavLife and hope that future offerings are more
objective, creative and optimistic.

*Continued . . . from pg 2
In response to teacher reaction
I implore the teachers of America to
take criticism in stride. When students
are beginning to understand that the
statistics show us placed 17th in the
world, we feel cheated out of a good
education. I ask teachers to not foolishly feel personally insulted but rather
to join together to bring us at least to
the top ten ranked educational systems
in the world. The fact that we aren’t in
the top five is disheartening to say the
least.
I would also like the community to
take note of these teachers who felt
insulted enough to write an opposing
opinion piece on my article critiquing
the educational system. I have never
come into contact with any of these
teachers and thus they must unfortunately judge me by this piece of work
alone. Please understand that the opin-

ion is coming from a student haunted
by the realization that our educational
system is falling short of world standards.
I leave LCC and MavLife with my
head held high knowing that future
journalists in this school are assured
that their First Amendment rights are
secure in this campus. As a newspaper
we have not only the right but the duty
to report the truth as well as express
our opinions.
La Costa Canyon has been an amazing and life-changing experience and
I’m appreciative of those who have
taught me in my three years here. I
hope to use their inspiration in the
future and I believe I made a stand that
we as students are never afraid to criticize our own educational system even
when facing opposition.

he engineering program isn’t a wellknown feature of our school’s community, but
their applicable contributions are making a
difference in a big way.
Run by Deborah Elliott, it includes three
courses: Intro to Engineering, Principles of
Engineering, and Civil Engineering and Architecture.
Students in these courses learn how to
manage technology efficiently and develop
skills and attitudes to meet the challenges
of daily living and the future world of work.
This program of studies incorporates many of
the practical arts programs like Engineering,
Computer Aided Drafting and Design, Digital
Photographic Imaging, and TV Production.
“The program really inspires and prepares
students for college. It’s not offered at most
schools, so it’s pretty awesome to know this
is a program special to LCC,” Kasie Shahbaz,
senior, said,
Principles of Engineering is a year-long
class in which students learn about different
career possibilities in engineering, explore
various engineering systems, experience how
math and science are used together in solving engineering problems, and see how new
innova-

Students applying principles of engineering in class. Photo by Breonna
Mabry.

tions are developed.
“Students learn valuable problem solving skills that are
transferable to everyday problems, as well as how to use industry

Questioning Nuclear Power
Breonna Mabry
Staff Writer

Explosions at the Japanese nuclear

power plant, after Japan was hit by an earthquake and tsunami, have sparked new fears
that will feed into debates about nuclear
power across the globe.
Until the recent earthquake and tsunami
in Japan caused a nuclear emergency, on a
scale not seen since the Chernobyl disaster
in 1986, it was taken for granted that nuclear
power would become increasingly important
across the world.
According to the United States Regulatory
Commision, in the United States alone, there
are 104 nuclear reactors, and operators are
seeking permission to build at least 20 more
in the next 10 years. Central and southern
California - a region famed for being prone to
seismic shocks - is also home to two nuclear
power plants: the Diablo Canyon nuclear
plant in San Luis Obispo County and San
Onofre Nuclear Generating Station located
near San Clemente.
All California plants are located on the
Pacific coast, vulnerable not only to earthquakes but also to a tsunami. The disaster in
Japan is raising some serious safety concerns
and questions in the homes of nearly every
Southern Californian citizen.
“People are really nervous,” Paula Vuong,
senior, said, “I work at Henry’s Farmer’s market and ever since the Japan crisis, custom-

ers have been buying iodine by the caseload.”
Iodine is a mineral substance known to
protect the thyroid and other small organs
safe from radiation harm. Unfortunately, if a
nuclear reactor were to go off anywhere near
a resident’s home, the mineral substance
would save their glands, but do little to save
his or her life.
President Barack Obama, trying to reassure a worried nation, declared recently
that “harmful levels” of radiation from the
Japanese nuclear disaster are not expected to
reach the U.S., even as other officials conceded it could take weeks to bring the crippled
nuclear complex under control. Not only this,
but there are currently new construction
plans to guarantee safety near all US plants,
including the one’s located with miles of La
Costa Canyon.
“I don’t really think there’s anything to
worry about and I mean, even if something
were to go down, there’s not much we can do
[about it],” Aly Feildmeir, senior, said.
State senators are reviewing whether
California’s nuclear power plants and gas
pipelines are safe from earthquakes as
Japan’s scramble to control its damaged reactors brings up uncomfortable similarities to
the nuclear plants on America’s West Coast.
Also in the debate, is whether or not Southern Californian citizens are safe from hazardous chemicals traveling from Japan itself.

4 | MavLife | May 2011

standard 3-D modeling software. Students who become proficient in Autodesk
Inventor and Revit can more readily get
into entry level jobs with engineering and
architectural firms than those who don’t,”
Elliott said.
Students also learn about the tools
that engineers use to benefit people and
societies, and how technological change
can cause social and political problems.
Students design and build models in order
to solve basic engineering problems.
“One of my favorite projects is where
we deconstruct products and redesign
them into an entirely new product with a
different function. It’s called Reverse Engineering,” said freshman Scott Wojtowicz.
The course culminates in a multischool design development and marketing
project. Students will learn how to sketch,
document, and model all of their dreamed
up designs using state-of-the-art 3-D
modeling software, and will build many of
their designs in the classroom’s “Fabrication Lab.”
The courses take a “hands on” approach, and it is a transferable credit for
many California universities.

n high school being a “zero” basically
means you are a low on the totem pole, but
now being a zero has a more positive connotation.
“Being a zero means, to decrease your
impact of atmospheric pollutants such as
carbon dioxide, and using other means besides cars to get to destinations, especially,
since 1 gallon of gas equals 19.4 lbs of carbon dioxide. Try putting 20 pounds on your
back and carrying it around all day,” said
AP Environmental Science (APES) teacher
Jerry Trust.
Every year Trust and his APES students
organize and prepare for the school’s Earth
Day activities on April 22.
Earth Day was started by U.S. Senator
Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teachin, first held on April 22, 1970. While Earth
Day focused on the United States, Denis
Hayes, one of the original national coordinators in 1970, took it international in 1990
and organized events in 141 nations.
This year, Trust and his students
focused Earth Day around the theme of
“zero.”
The “zero” theme not only focuses on
keeping school efficient and environmentally friendly, but it also applies to the effort
and collaboration of the students and teachers on and off campus.

Earth Day posters were placed around campus to promote the event. Artwork
by Natalie O’ Brian.

This year, Trust and his students contacted
various environmental groups who set up
booths around the student center in order
talk to students about environmental issues.
Car dealerships and other automotive dealers also brought fuel-efficient and electric
cars and motorcycles.
“We wanted to make students and teachers more aware of environmental issues of
today, especially major issues like climate
change. This is a great time to recognize and
celebrate the earth and acknowledge that
we should be living more sustainably,” said
Trust.
The APES students also participated in
Earth Day by entertaining students with
activities like “Minute to Win It,” a game
testing your skills moving and replacing
objects in one minute, live music preformed
by the Sea Cucumbers, and booths set up for
the students and their projects.
“All of the activities on Earth Day got the
students involved and they gained a better
understanding of what the pollution does to
the environment,” Meghan Assioun, junior,
said.
“Earth day reminds me to get outside
more, and really appreciate the wonders of
nature,” said Trust.

Upcoming Events
May 26-27: One Acts in the theater at 6:00 pm
May 31: Band Spring Concert at 5:00 pm in the theater
June 6: Smart Start in the theater at 6:30 pm
June 8: Senior Dinner and Yearbook Signing at 5:00 pm in the gym
June 10: Science Extravaganza at 7:00 pm in the theater
June 11: Yearbook Distribution at room 900
June 14: Senior Checkout Day
June 14: Senior Boat Dance at 6:00 pm
June 17: Last day of school! Graduation at 3:00 pm in the stadium

any students toy with various activities throughout the course of high school. It
is rare when one activity seems to stick, and
turn into a passion, for high school is often
solely a time of search. However, senior
Adam Bucci strays away from that method of
testing.
He entered high school with a strong passion for musical theater, and nurtured that
passion throughout his four years. Due to his
dedication, Bucci is able to reflect upon his
high school years feeling content with his
accomplishments.
Bucci has been involved in thirteen
shows throughout his life, so a majority of his
memories are concerned with theater.
“I became interested in theater in my first
grade class when I saw ‘Pirates of Penzance,’
a show that was put on by one of the fifth
grade classes. It turned out that ‘Pirates of
Penzance’ was my first show,” Bucci said.
His interest in acting sparked early in
his life, allowing it to become something he
invested a large amount of time in.
Bucci has experimented with involvement in other activities on campus, but

has always found himself straying back to
theater. “I’ve always been most involved with
theater at LCC. My first show was called ‘The
Foreigner’ where I played a KKK member.
That part was an interesting one for a nice
Jewish boy like myself,” Bucci said.
Although Bucci has established a strong
sense of involvement in theater, he does participate in other activities outside of campus
that stray away from the arts. Bucci takes
his bold presence and speaking skills into a
student-run program Youth and Government
run through the YMCA. As a Junior, Bucci
became president of the Youth and Government program located in Encinitas.
Next year, Bucci will be studying political science at Loyola Marymount University,
located in Los Angeles, California. He also
hopes to be a member of the crew team. His
contrasting interests will give him a more
diverse experience.
Bucci describes his life through the maxim, “A goal without a plan is only a wish.”
He hopes to execute the motto later in
later years, where he desires a life working
in Washington, D.C.

Bucci will be attending LMU in the fall to study political science. Photo by
Lauren Sonken.

Farnum has starred in five productions and acted in 11 during her four
years here at LCC. Photo by Jessica Stevenson.

6 | MavLife | May 2011

G

raduating this year, senior Brooke
Farnum has accomplished many feats as a
student on campus. She made her main mark
being a Thespian, participating in the program here since her Freshman year. As club
president of Thespians, a participant of Gay
Straight Alliance, and a star of theatrics on
campus, Farnum can often be found singing
her heart out in the theater.
“I’ve been singing forever! Singing initially
got me into acting,” Farnum said.
Farnum began acting in second grade and
started community theater in seventh grade.
Her first plays were The “Jungle Book,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” and “You’re a Good Many
Charlie Brown.” Her favorite role she has
played is Maria in Sound of Music at Coast
Kids Theatre when she was thirteen years old.
“It was the first time someone gave me the
opportunity to be something more than just
a chorus part so it was a huge learning and
growing experience for me. Plus everyone in
the cast was extremely close so that made it
really fun,” Farnum said.

Outside of school and theater, a lot of Farnum’s time is spent with voice lessons. Friends
and family are very important people in
Farnum’s life so she loves doing spontaneous
things with them, as well.
This year, Brooke starred in “Arsenic
and Old Lace,” “Macbeth,” and “The Wedding Singer.” Her acting career has certainly
launched on campus, but is sure to continue
far into her future.
Farnum’s life path will continue next year
at Emmerson College in Boston, Massachusetts as she majors in Musical Theater. She
wants to continue, ideally, onto the stage of
Broadway after college, but would be thrilled
with any career in theater.
“The choice is kinda made for you as you
audition at the different schools, but out of all
the places I auditioned, I felt like Emmerson
offered the best program for Musical Theater.
And plus, Boston is an awesome place for the
next chapter in my life,” Farnum said.
“I don’t remember exactly when I realized
I love acting, I just always have, like I don’t
ever remember not loving it,” said Farnum.

Sports

Smooth Transition

Team looks for another CIF title despite coaching change
Nicholas Theriault
Staff Writer

The varsity lacrosse team has

seven North County conference titles
and four CIF championships in the last
8 years. Their excellence has continued through this season as well.
Last year, Dallas Hartley coached
the varsity lacrosse team through an
undefeated season (27-0). Before the
start of this year, he went to the next
level up in lacrosse coaching. Hartley was hired as a coach at Chapman
University.
With coach Hartley gone, last year’s
assistant coach, Jesse Foss, was promoted to the head coaching position of
this year’s campaign. The team seemed
to not be phased by the change, as
they quickly jumped to a 3-0 record. In
these first few games, the Mavericks
had a scoring differential of plus 24
goals.
In their first game, they crushed
San Marcos 11-2. In game two, they
destroyed Santa Margarita 18-4. Then,
they beat Rancho Bernardo 7-6. With
a 3-0 record, the Mavericks took on
Tustin Foothill next. The chance for
back-to-back undefeated seasons came
to an end here as the team lost 9-8.
They rebounded well from their
first loss with a win over Wheatridge
and our rival, Torrey Pines. During

the Torrey Pines win, the team had 12
saves, while Torrey Pines had 8 saves.
Brendan Gaughan scored 10 offensive
points. In more recent games, the Mavericks had a pair of four-game winning streaks to move their momentum
forward heading into CIF.
As the season nears its end, the
team’s chemistry is improving. As the
new varsity lacrosse coach, Foss has
several goals that he wants to continue
to focus on for success in CIF and possibly beyond during his first year as the
head coach. His main goal is to teach
the lacrosse players to become better athletes, leaders, and competitors.
Everyone, including Foss, is working
harder. Although the team had great
success last year, they are still training
hard this season and perfecting all of
their techniques and fundamentals to
do just as well as in past years.
“I feel that our practices are more
deliberate and intense than last year.
We come in every day with a plan of
what we need to accomplish to be a
great team,” Foss said of their training.
They practice for an hour and a half
each day and have had regular season
success to show for it.
“My goal is to fine-tune some things
and make sure we continue to be a

Recent Varsity Results
Sport

Date

Opponent

Result

Baseball

May 6th

Cathedral

W (7-0)

Girls Volleyball

May 6th

San Pasqual

W (3-0)

Boys Tennis

May 12th

Torrey Pines

L (12-6)

BoysGolf

May 5th

RB

Softball

May 12th

Carlsbad

L (6-1)

Boys Lacrosse

May 9th

Coronado

W (11-5)

Girls Lacrosse

May 11th

Torrey Pines

Track

May 5th

RBV

W (73-63)

Boys Swim

May 6th

Carlsbad

W (99-71)

Girls Swim

May 5th

Carlsbad

L (115-64)

successful program,” said Foss.
Foss also plans to try and acquire another CIF title. This team
has all the effort and talent to do
well, according to the coach. With
all the time and effort being put in

by Foss and the team, they feel that
they have an excellent chance of
success in the CIF playoffs, despite
what many would consider to be a
rebuilding year after having to transition to a new coaching style.

(Above) Midfielder Michael Gennuso passes the ball downfield. (Below) A
defender swipes the ball away from the opposing team during the same
game. The team was playing against Coronado and won 13-8. Photos courtesy
of Jesse Foss.

L (198-195)

L (9-8)

May 2011 | MavLife | 7

Absolutely Perfect

Sports

Trent Swart deals 21 straight outs for first perfect game in school history
Tanner Taguchi
Staff Writer

Where were you the day that Trent Swart,

senior, pitched the first perfect baseball game in our
school’s history? Most major league pitchers never
achieve what was accomplished by Trent Swart
against Oceanside on April 13, 2011 around 5:00.
“I just came
into that game
just like any
other, warmed
up the same
way. I didn’t
feel anything
special,” said
Swart.
The Mavericks went up
1-0 after the
first inning. As
Swart took the
mound for the
first time that day, without knowing, he began the
game that would make school history.
Pitch after pitch the Pirates went down, onetwo-three. The crowd could see the smoke on
Swart’s fastballs as they hurled over the plate. Swart
registered 15 strike outs that game with only six
outs made by fellow team members. This was truly

“I really didn’t know what
to do; I kind of just stood up
there. The rest of the team
was going crazy in the dugout.”
-Trent Swart (12)

8 | MavLife | May 2011

{

{

Trent’s day.
Three scoreless innings passed. In the fifth inning, LCC scored two more runs, bringing them to a
3-0 lead over the Pirates. With each passing inning,
Swart was getting closer and closer to one of the
greatest achievements a pitcher can ever accomplish.
The closest
an LCC pitcher
has come to a
perfect game was
Tyler Ryan in an
11-0 win over El
Camino, in which
he gave up no
runs, no hits, but
one walk in April
of 2002.
“By the sixth
inning I knew I
was getting close. I knew I could do it,” Swart said.
After six more LCC runs scored, including multiple home runs by Phillip Evans and Evan Schrieber,
Swart threw another flawless inning, which ended
in another strikeout. Just one inning remained.
With no runs scored in the top of the seventh,
the time had come: three more batters, and Swart
would carve his name into school history. Under
this extreme pressure,
Swart kept his cool and
managed to strike out
the first two Pirates.
The game ended
similar to many 1930’s
radio broadcasts: Bottom
of the ninth, two outs,
two strikes, the wind is
coming in cold from the
coast. Banners are waving, colors are streaming
above the sky. A hush
falls over the crowd. He
takes a wind up, lets it

Swart could break the school’s ERA, strikeout,
and win records for a single season. Photo courtesy of Trent Swart
go! STERRIKE three!
The ball game was over.
“I really didn’t know what to do; I kind of just
stood up there. The rest of the team was going crazy
in the dugout,” said Swart.
And just like that, after 14 years of baseball, our
school finally has a perfect game to add to its list of
baseball accomplishments.
The Mavericks won the game with 13 hits in a
9-0 win over Oceanside.

Sports

Strokes of Glory
Mickey Mackle swims to defend his CIF title
Nicholas Theriault
Staff Writer
work ethic and skills have catapulted him to being
one of the leading members of the varsity swim
team.
Mackle
started his swimming career simply because his
parents wanted
him to try it, yet
it has been his
personal passion
and inner drive
that has taken
him to elite
status in the San
Diego County high
school swim world.
Little did his parents know that they started
Mackle on the road to high school sports glory.
Mackle continues to improve with each successive
year at LCC, and the effort he puts into swim is reflected by his ever improving statistics and reputation as a top-notch athlete.
He has seven years of swimming experience
and plenty of talent to show for it. Mackle practices
about an average of three hours a day, includ-

{

ing hours in the morning as well as after school.
Though his high school days will end next year,
his swimming days will be far from over as Mackle
plans to
continue
his swimming career
beyond high
school.
However, Mackle
refuses to get
too far ahead
of himself
and remains
focused on
attaining success in high
school first and foremost.
“I haven’t looked too much at colleges yet,”
Mackle said. His role on the high school team has
kept him too busy for any of that.
“Mickey is looking to repeat as CIF champion in
the 200 individual medley and is crucial as a member of our relays,” said swim coach Micky Murad.
Some of Mackle’s best events include the 400
individual medley, the 200 individual medley, and

Seeking back-to-back CIF titles and the opportunity to
continue his swim career in college, junior olympian
Mackle practices about three hours a day. Photo courtesy of Mickey Mackle.
the 200 breastroke. A 400 individual medley is made
up of a 100 meter butterfly, 100 meter backstroke, 100
meter breastroke, and 100 meter freestyle. His best
time in this event is 3 minutes and 59 seconds. His
personal best in the 200 individual medley is 1 minute
and 53 seconds.
Colleges aren’t allowed to talk to Mickey until he
becomes a senior once this school year ends in June.

May 2011 | MavLife | 9

Sports

Sports In A Year

Photos by the Journalism Class

10 | MavLife | May 2011

g
n
i
w

o
l
l
Fo

th

e

Tr
a

il

n
e
e
r
of G
p. 12-16
Design by Hunter Vurbeff and JP Horrigan

Budget

The Money Game
Brenna Lyles
Staff Writer

MavLife tracks the path of ASB Spending

When students write their check for a $50

ASB Sticker in August, few realize exactly where
that money goes.
With over 1,300 sold, ASB stickers prove to be
the biggest fundraiser of the school year. This
year alone, they brought in a total of $61,795.
That’s more than the average American makes
per year, and would cover the cost of two or
more years of college tuition and could even pay
for a brand new Mercedes Benz.
Because the stickers are relatively cheap to

print and this fundraiser takes place so early in
the year, ASB starts off with a solid and reliable
source of money for various expenses.
Yet, ASB stickers are not ASB’s sole means of
raising money to supplement their many financial needs.
So what exactly does ASB do with all that
cash? They spend it on the students. All those
events that do not charge money or are offered at
a discount are covered by such fundraisers. Similarly, this money goes to school-sponsored clubs
that request financial help, CIF Sports, and ASB

members’ outings such as going to lunch while
searching for a prom location.
With as much money as ASB has to manage, it
is vital to analyze how and why all that spending
occurs.
La Costa Canyon MavLife extensively reviewed several documents and accounts in order
to sort out various elements of the ASB budget.
Through much analysis and investigation of ASB
accounts and ASB club accounts from the past
three years, we were able to report how student
money is being spent.

By The Numbers:
ASB Sticker Breakdown:

Major ASB Expenses:

Major Athletic Expenses:

ASB Sticker Revenue:
$65,335

Winter Formal:
$39,458.10

Security for Athletic Events:
$9,564.50

Gold Card Making Service Cost:
$3,600

Homecoming:
$19,060.98

Athletic Officals:
$34,955.50

ASB Sticker Printing:
$80.00

ASB Special Events:
$4,909.80

Ambulances:
$6,817.91

Total Balance:
$61,655*

General Supplies for ASB:
$6,755.33

CIF:
$28,828.60

*not including returned checks.

Athletic Accounting

In times of financial distress teams look to outside help
Kiely Doherty
Staff Writer

From the new turf football field to the ex-

panding training facilities, the sports programs
are certainly a prominent feature on campus.
There are over 15 sports offered, each with a JV
and Varsity, sometimes even Freshman team.
The recent success in our sports teams, like both
girls and boys California Interscholastic Federation basketball titles, has provided further attention to the high achieving and highly-regarded
sports program here.
But the teams require more than the talented
students that play on them. A coach, method
of transportation, trainers, facilities, officials,
security, custodial services, and equipment are
just some of the necessary tools required for
a proficient sports team, all of which require
money. With the current financial struggles affecting scholastic programs, the sports funds are
strained as well.
“The district provides coach stipends for each
sports team. The rest of the money is paid for by

parents and fundraising,” John Labeta, Athletic
Director, said.
The money comes from three main sources.
One is revenue raised by the students directly,
like concession sales and fundraisers, which
are handled through finances in ASB. ASB also
allocates $5000 a year to trainers and allows the
teams to keep athletic gate funds, which keeps
the capital generated for the teams in their budget rather than the overall budget for the school.
The second source is from the Athletic Boosters account, which comes from parent and community donations. The Athletic Boosters are a
branch of The Foundation, which is parent-run.
The third source of revenue for sports is
district-allocated stipends for coaching positions.
“Seven years ago, when I first started here,
the district gave us $18,000 to help with funds.
Last year, it was cut to $9,000. Next year, we
will be receiving zero additional funds from the
district,” Labeta said.
In addition, the district will cut six coach-

12 | MavLife | May 2011

ing stipends next year. Financial cutbacks have
been prevalent in all programs, including sports.
Because of the financial difficulties, a heavy
reliance has been set on parental involvement,
donations and revenue-making within the teams.
“More active parents means a more stable
budget for the sports programs,” Labeta said.
Though contributions are heavier in the
larger sports like football and track, all teams
rely on outside funding.
“Budgets for each team through athletic
boosters would be entirely dependent upon
the size of the squad. It is proportional but not
monetarily the same. A football team with 200
student athletes is going to raise more funds
than a basketball team with 26 athletes,” Labeta
explains.
Overall, the sports teams have not had to
change their programs in response financial
stress, but more emphasis has been set on the
teams and their families to provide funds.

Budget

Club Spending and Distribution
ASB accurately distributes club earnings

Steven Fahy and Brenna Lyles
Staff Writers

With over 50 clubs on campus that put on

not be donated,” said Kaitlin Wood, ASB Director. Debate) and $55,244.13 (Yearbook), others begin
Meanwhile, open-forum clubs such as those
with a mere $50. Part of the reason for this is
numerous events and offer a wide variety of
centered around religion, community service, or
simply that remaining money gets carried over
opportunities
criteria otherwise
from the previous year, whether or not ASB
open to all stunot connected
decides a starting budget grant is necessary for
dents, budget
directly to the
the club.
distribution
While some clubs begin the
curriculum or
Some student organizations are given budget
among clubs
school
year
with
balances
as
high
as
school sports,
supplements from ASB in order to cover larger
is a somewhat
are not allowed
club costs. For example, Speech and Debate,
$6,199.93 (Speech and Debate) and
confusing
to hold ASB acThespians, and Journalism are each granted
process. While
$55,244.13 (Yearbook), others begin
counts or receive
$3,000 each year.
some clubs
money.
ThereASB-funded clubs just can’t go about spendwith a mere $50.
are unable to
fore, they cannot
ing their money on anything they wish; there
receive grants
raise money on
are specific rules and guidelines implemented in
directly from
campus or
apply for grants,
order to keep club spending in line with district
ASB or raise money on campus, others prosper
but are still encouraged to meet on campus. This
standards.
under the funding of ASB.
means they are also restricted from participatThe first and most basic rule is that club
Clubs are classified into two types: schooling in food fairs, which ASB has recently started
money must be spent on something that will
sponsored and open-forum. Those that are
closely monitoring. Financial options for opendirectly benefit the students, not teachers, parschool-sponsored and ASB funded, including CIF
forum clubs include advertising and fund-raising ents, or other staff members. This also means
sports and clubs that can be scholastically tied,
on the Internet or within the community, as long
purchased items must be school appropriate.
are eligible to receive grants from a budget put
as it is off campus.
For example, clubs can’t go out and buy a case of
aside specifically for clubs.
However, if an open forum club is intent
cigarettes for its members, nor can it purchase
Though only a select few of these clubs are
on raising money on campus, talking to ASB in
anything otherwise not judged as permitted on
given a starting budget (or grant), they are all alorder to organize
something
school grounds.
lowed and encouraged to petition for additional
may be possible.
Also, ASB
grants, in which case the ASB would pull from
For example, in the
funds should not
The
first
and
most
basic
rule
is
their club budget (if the club’s proposition is accase of Battle of the
be used for costs
cepted).
that club money must be spent on
Bands, Stand sponthat are the reThe money within these account carries over
something
that
will
directly
benefit
sored the event in
sponsibility of the
each year, allowing clubs to continue building
order to raise money
district, such as
the students, not teachers, parents,
up funds over the years as long as they remain
for a charity. Invistextbooks, mainteactive. The purpose of this system is not for clubs
or other staff members.
ible Children came
nance and teacher
to build up funds over the years, but rather use
out and collected the
salaries. Accordthe money to benefit the club.
money themselves,
ing to the state-is“If you are a school-sponsored club, you can
and ASB could only recommend a donation of $5. sued Associated Student Body Manual, “the most
have an ASB account. All the money that goes
Within ASB-funded clubs arises yet another
important question that should be asked is, ‘Is
into these accounts has to be spent on something
source of confusion: money distribution among
this something the district should provide, or is it
to benefit the students. So that’s why it’s almost
clubs. While some clubs begin the school year
really an ‘extra’ that the students want?’”
better for community service clubs to not have
with balances as high as $6,199.93 (Speech and
an account because any money they made could

{

{

{

{

Lauren Sonken
Staff Writer

Food Fair Funds

Four times each year, ASB hosts food fairs

in the student center during lunch. The event is
one that many underclassmen look forward to,
for their brown-bagged lunches are graced with
the presence of warm bread sticks or homemade
cookies and drinks such as a Boba or iced coffee
not sold at school lunch lines.
The food fairs are social events that excite
many students. Any clubs that desire to make
money on campus, after being approved as a
school-sponsored club by ASB, are able to sell
their desired items at their desired prices to
receive a desired income. Everything is left up to

club presidents, except for the transformation of
tickets into dollar amounts.
“We take in tickets from the clubs, and count
each stack twice. Then, Susie in the finance office
places the appropriate amounts into each club’s
account,” Blaire Bender, ASB President, said. “We
don’t take any money from the food fairs into
ASB’s account, unless ASB has sold something at
the food fairs. One hundred percent of the money
goes directly to the clubs,” Bender continued.
After reviewing the account information for
the 2010-2011 food fairs, the remaining balance
after all the money was transferred back to the

clubs was $457.56. Because the balance was not at
zero, a discrepancy remained.
“The hope is for a balance of zero but it does
not always end up that way. Sometimes we make
more money by accident. Each year is completely
different,” Kaitlin Wood, ASB director, said.
ASB’s system is honest and detailed; there is
no money left unaccounted for in the food fair
budget.
“We’re extremely careful in counting the
money and try our best to make sure the clubs
receive all the profits,” Martha Grimes, ASB Treasurer, said.

Table 1. Yearbook and Senior Ad Prices
In the past several years, the
Stampede, La Costa Canyon’s
yearbook, has earned national
recognition for its success in
publication.
“Our yearbook is among the
best yearbooks in our county,
but we’ve also received some
national recognition for having
one of the best in the country,”
Principal Kyle Ruggles said.
Among various awards, the
Stampede has been honored
with Best in Class and Best in
Show at the San Diego County
Fair, has been proclaimed one
of the best yearbooks in the nation by the National Scholastic
Press Association, and has been
featured in well-known publications such as the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Yearbook Income and Prices
Along with its national recognition, La Costa
Canyon’s yearbook is also known for its high
prices. During Business Week, yearbooks are
offered at $85 for those with ASB stickers and at
$100 for those without; then, the price goes up
when school starts, as yearbooks rise to a flat
rate of $105 for the remainder of the school year.
Dr. Ruggles explains, “I think they’re both,
[the yearbook prices and printing prices], high
and I think that we charge a lot for yearbooks,
but I also know that yearbooks are expensive to
produce.”
MavLife reviewed the LCC yearbook club’s
account summaries, several purchase orders,
and the publishing contract with Herff Jones,
along with both of Torrey Pines’ 2010-2011 Club
Account and Budgeted Account reports.
Based on these documents, for the past three
years, it costs approximately $142,000 to print
and ship 1,900 yearbooks for one school year.
In the 2009-2010 school year, yearbook sales
brought in exactly $143,436.80. It is apparent that
not all yearbooks were sold at full price, as many
staff members can purchase discounted yearbooks. For the past two years, the total income
from yearbook sales alone have been sufficient
enough to meet printing expenses set by Herff
Jones, with a few thousand dollars’ profit.
However, these profits do not include the
income from Senior Ad pages, which brought in
a total of about $38,000 this year, 2010-2011.
For comparison, the Yearbook and Senior Ads
Chart provides yearbook and senior ad prices
set by Torrey Pines, San Dieguito Academy, and
Canyon Crest Academy.
La Costa Canyon’s yearbook prices are set at
a rate higher than TPHS and SDA. While LCC
Senior Ads are close to those of Torrey Pines, our
prices exceed those of SDA and CCA. See Table
1 for a breakdown of district yearbook and senior
ad prices.

Crest, “Our carry over varies wildly.
One year we were $600
over-drawn; another
we had a $25,000 carry
over (which required a
detailed letter of explanation for the finance
audit).“

Yearbook Printing Agreement

Annual Carryover
At the end of each school year, money in the
yearbook account left unspent is transferred to
the next year’s account as a starting balance.
Although yearbook is an ASB club, they are not
financially sponsored by ASB; in addition, their
annual carryover remains within the club as
opposed to being transferred back into the ASB
general account. This year, LCC’s yearbook account started with a balance of $55,244.13.
In comparison, Torrey Pines’ yearbook club’s
beginning balance for 2010-2011 was $8,524.57.
However, Torrey Pines yearbook program deals
with their financial accounts differently than
LCC in that the money is separated into two
accounts: the Yearbook Club Account and the
Yearbook Budgeted Accounts.
Torrey Pines’ Yearbook Budgeted Account’s
summary shows a beginning balance of zero
each year and strictly deals with publication
income and expenses.
Their Yearbook Club Account, on the other
hand, has an annual carryover, which in 20102011 became a beginning balance of $8,524.57.
This account’s money covered the expenses of
airfare and hotel rooms for conventions as well
as food for deadline nights and class meetings.
La Costa Canyon yearbook’s beginning balance for the past 3 years has been thousands
over that of Torrey Pines:

- In 2008-2009, the Yearbook Account’s
beginning balance was $26,567.18.
- In 2009-2010, the beginning balance
was $60,948.00.
- In 2010-2011, the beginning balance
was $55,244.13.

These beginning balances significantly
exceed any other club on campus and other
yearbook clubs in the area. According to Michael Gaughen, yearbook adviser at Canyon

14 | MavLife | May 2011

Every three years, La
Costa Canyon yearbook
and Herff Jones form
a printing agreement
signed by both Dan
Salas, yearbook class
instructor, and Steve
Bailey, Herff Jones sales
representative. This contract verifies school
address and contacts, publication information,
printing specifications, a printing agreement
total, and “additional features.”
The projected annual “total printing agreement” amounts to an estimated $146,773.62,
which roughly matches the total cost of printing
yearbooks in the 2009-2010 school year. At this
price-- assuming that all 1900 yearbooks were
sold-- each yearbook could theoretically be sold
at $77.25 in order to break even.
Some “additional features” listed in the
yearbook contract include a $1,750 early renewal
discount, a $150 shopping spree on yearbooks.
biz, and an annual $10,000 “contribution to the
LCC Foundation.” The $10,000 contribution
goes directly to the school and into Dr. Ruggles’
Principal Account, which is used for covering
various purchases necessary for the students and
the campus.
“In the past, I have bought everything from
chairs for the Band Room to food to cover WASC
meetings to plants for the parking lot to banners
around campus. It will also be used for STAR
testing incentives for students like iPods,” said
Dr. Ruggles.

Yearbook Spending
With yearbook’s annual carryover, combined
with income from both yearbook and senior ad
sales, there is plenty of room in the budget for
class spending. For a breakdown of major annual
expenditures refer to Table 2 on the facing page.
Aside from printing yearbooks, electronic
purchases are the club’s largest expense. In the
2009-2010 budget, significant purchases included
ten iMac Desktops, a DVD replicator system, an
LED cinema display, and various computer software and applications. In the current year’s budget, one Mac desktop, two WiFi-enabled iPads,
two iPod classics, an HDTV, and several camera
lenses with UV filters were purchased.
Mr. Salas’s website (http://teachers.sduhsd.
net/dsalas) reports that his Apple lab, located in

Budget
Table 2. Major LCC Yearbook Expenses

Table 3. iPad and iPod Expenditures

[continued]
room 900, contains “20 four-year-old iMac computers and 12 iMacs that have been purchased
within the last two years,” and is “sponsored by
The Stampede Yearbook.”
In comparison, the Torrey Pines publication
classes are not responsible for purchasing equipment.
“Their computers are supplied by the district
office, as well as the cameras. Typically, we [the
school and its clubs] only pay for office supplies
like paper, envelopes, and software upgrades for
fonts,” said Torrey Pines Finance Officer Patricia
Hargraves.
If the Torrey Pines yearbook class were to
update its technology-- for instance, purchasing computers or cameras--the adviser would
be responsible for filing a written request for
ASB. In this circumstance, TP’s ASB could take
out money from their savings in order to aid in
covering the costs.
La Costa Canyon’s Finance Officer, Susie
Gardner, explains, “My understanding of the
funds for student publications is as follows:
Journalism, Yearbook and Literary Magazine (a
club in past years) are all typical ASB fund-raising trust club accounts and ASB budget items.
With that, they are all governed by ASB (with the
consent of the Principal) and should follow all
state and district adopted guidelines provided to
them, including adequate internal controls such
as ASB purchase orders.”

How Purchases are Used
With all the types of purchases being made,
it is important to analyze how these purchases
are being used by the yearbook class.
“The advisers get to order things based on
what they need for their class...so I would think
that Mr. Salas is purchasing things with the
budget [money] to use within his class,” states
Dr. Ruggles.
As for how well equipment is being used, according to yearbook student Alex Lopez, junior,

equipment such as cameras and Macs are available for student use under close supervision and
care.
“There are about six class cameras which are
all in good use. We have sign out sheet for cameras... and when they are checked back in, they
require cleaning with special microfiber cloths,”
said Lopez.
Any damage to or misuse of such equipment
would consequently result in serious repercussions and further limitations of their use, rules
imposed by Mr. Salas.
The 2010-2011 yearbook budget also reports
the purchase of two iPads with applications and
various accessories, as well as two iPod Classics.
Table 3 provides a breakdown of these costs.
Uncertainty arose amongst the five interviewed yearbook students when asked about
these items, as none of them were aware of a
class set of iPads or iPods. Editors Paige Santangelo, Nicole Haiduck, and Clarissa Foster report
that they have seen only one iPad in use by Mr.
Salas, and according to Alex Lopez, “only a select
few editors may have access” to the devices. Because Mr. Salas, the yearbook advisor, declined
multiple requests for an interview, little is known
about the purpose or terms of use of the iPads
and iPods.
When asked about what exactly is allowed
regarding such purchases (iPads and iPods), Dr.
Ruggles said, “The iPad and iPod should be used
within the program, which is yearbook in this
case, in order to improve and enhance the class
so we can provide the best possible yearbook for
our students.”
In addition to the iPads and iPods, other items
that have been purchased through the yearbook
account include an 88-key music workstation
($2,799.00) in September of 2009; two posters ($127.24) and 650 programs ($779.93) for
the school play, “Lend Me a Tenor,” in January
of 2010; an LCD monitor and theater system
($770.23) in March of 2009; and two Blu-Ray
players and mounts ($1,060.64) in May of 2009.

Financial Aid for Yearbooks
Unlike many schools in the San Dieguito
Union High School District such as Torrey Pines,
Canyon Crest Academy, and San Dieguito Academy, La Costa Canyon does not offer students
financial aid for yearbooks. This decision is
dependent on each school’s principal and administration.
“I haven’t been able to provide financial aid
on yearbooks because yearbooks are not something I’m requiring for students. It’s an option
and it’s something that students can have if they
wish to have,” Dr. Ruggles said.
At Torrey Pines, financial aid for yearbooks is
available to seniors only.
TPHS’s financial adviser, Patricia Hargraves,
explains that “ASB put $4,000 in the budget this
year for scholarships. That would be for dances,
yearbooks, and senior week. Scholarships are
for seniors only, and they have to be approved
through counseling and administration based on
financial need, attendance, and discipline.”
Similarly, Canyon Crest offers financial aid to
their students with a priority for seniors. Financial aid transactions are handled through the
school’s administration and registrar alongside
their finance office. Financial aid for yearbook
purchases is granted on a sliding scale based
upon students’ ability to pay.
San Dieguito Academy’s yearbook adviser,
Carrie Land, states that at SDA, “some financial
aid is available to a very limited number kids
who can’t pay full price.”
However, Principal Ruggles has decided to
provide scholarships for Prom for those unable
to pay.
Editor’s Note:
MavLife Staffers who are concurrently enrolled in
Yearbook did not contribute to the story.

May 2011 | MavLife | 15

Budget

The Money Dance
A week of festivities leads to a long list of spending
Jessica Stevenson
Staff Writer

As Homecoming is the first significant event

of the school year, students expect a spectacular
show at the Homecoming Game as well as an enjoyable and well-planned Homecoming Dance.
Last October, ASB did not disappoint students
with the extravaganzas presented during both
the game and the dance.
However, some wonder how such events can
be put on under a budget. In the end, the 20102011 account information shows that expenses
and income almost balance out. ASB spent
$19,060.98 on Homecoming-related events, while
tickets and Homecoming carnival sales topped
$19,465.10. But with five different Homecoming
committees, are these expenses being distributed
equally throughout the many areas of demand?
ASB’s goal for Homecoming is to balance out
the income and expenses in the end. Because
the Homecoming tickets cost less than the bigger
dances of the year, ASB accounts for this by planning for costs to equal expenses, rather than the
income to substantially exceed the costs.
“The dance pays for all of the other Homecoming events. Our goal isn’t to make money,
but rather break even at the end of the events,”
Kaitlin Wood, ASB director, said.
ASB distributes the planning and funds
among five different committees within their
class: spirit week, carnival, parade, half-time
and dance. Each committee is given an allotted amount of money to work with and this year

each seemed to be successful in staying within
budget, while still being able to afford the necessary supplies to create Homecoming week.
For spirit week, the committee had a small
budget to work with, but accomplished a lunch
game each day as well as a Pep Rally on Friday.
Students donated clothing for the Tacky Tourist
day, which took expenses off the budget. Otherwise, funds were spent on renting tricycles
and buying simple items such as chalk to create
lunch games for students to participate in.
The carnival is one of the larger committees because of the inflatables and games that
ASB puts on to ensure an enjoyable time. However, this event costs more and generates little
revenue. The expenses come out to just under
$4,900.00, which encompasses the carnival
inflatables, the tattoo vendor, the helium for the
inflatables, carnival security and food venues
such as Juice Stop. The carnival brought in just
$1,322.10.
“I think that the carnival would be our biggest
expense because we don’t earn much back from
it, but we are trying different things,” Wood said.
The parade, although a Homecoming event,
has little expense for ASB and the parade committee because each float is funded by its own
class.
This year the halftime show cost almost
nothing, whereas last year around $1,500.00 was
spent on the sky diver alone.

This year’s celebration, with seven students
running across the field displaying the homecoming queen’s name printed on morph-suits,
cost much less at $294.95. The homecoming
sashes, crowns and roses cost $177.00 and the
rented halftime golf carts cost $1,489.75. In addition, funds were spent on the sky-tracker lighting, confetti and balloons, which cost around
2,855.00. The total expense for the halftime show
was just over $4,800.00.
The Homecoming Dance is the biggest event
of the week, costing $8,680.43. The dance expenses are put toward first and foremost the D.J.
then also the dance photos, security and decorations. However, the dance also brings in the
most profit of the week. Ticket sales totaled over
$18,000.00.
“Homecoming is one of our biggest events
because it gets everyone excited for the school
year. We put a lot of our effort toward planning it. We spend a lot of the money on the D.J.
and decorations for the dance, but our goal is
to break even and make all of the money back
through ticket sales. We were very successful
this year,” Martha Grimes, ASB Treasurer, said.
As is common with many clubs on campus
such as Yearbook, Speech and Debate and Journalism, the ASB class was provided with meals
over the hours they spent on campus planning
and preparing for the Homecoming events. This
expense totaled $562.88.

nificant as Winter Formal would both
cost a lot and bring in big bucks.
Proving to be one of the most expensive events of the school year. Winter
Formal left ASB paying the lofty total
of $39,458.10 for everything from food
to the D.J. Renting out the House of
Blues for an entire night was the greatest expense, coming in at $28,987.39.
The second highest cost was $4,007.50,
spent to hire a D.J. Other costs, such as
a photo booth, food, and party favors
like wristbands and sunglasses, also

added to the total.
Despite the high cost of this dance,
ASB was able to fully pay for and even
make a profit off of ticket sales alone.
Because this year’s location was one
of the priciest Formal sites rented in
years, formal tickets were higher than
years past.
“Raising ticket prices each week
is in order to get people to buy their
tickets and commit so that ASB can
expect how many people are attending and prevent a last-minute rush to
buy tickets. ASB also gives discounts as
an added push to encourage people to

buy early,” explains Kaitlin Wood, ASB
director.
Tickets were available the first
week at a rate of $40 with an ASB
sticker and $45 without, rising $5 each
following week. Nearly half of all ticket
sales took place in the first week of
availability.ASB also offered up to a $10
discount for those who donated used
formal dresses.
Formal ticket sales brought in a
total of $50,010, leaving ASB with a
balance of $10,551.90 to be used for
future student events.

Originally released on Christmas
2010 as a free download for members
of the Gorillaz Fan Club, “The Fall”
takes a completely different twist than
the animated band has ever created.
Gorillaz’s newest album takes a very
calm, soothing tempo to every song
with few vocal tracks, leaving most of
the album instrumental.
The thing that makes this album
really stand out, aside from the simple
genius of the music, is that the entire
album was created on tour, on an
iPad. The album creates a journey of
the tour as the titles correspond to
the cities that they were created in.
“Shy-Town,” written in Chicago, creates a cold yet calm drift as if walking
through the city in the fall, as cool
breezes pass by. “The Snake In Dallas,” however, begins with a stressful
synthesizer, creating the feeling of a
scorching hot area in the desert.
The album represents the band’s
previous tour in a way that no written
article or documentary could. B+
Jake Barnes

“Take Care, Take Care, Take Care”
adds to the already large collection
of beautiful music produced by the
experimental rock band Explosions
in the Sky. There is nothing especially
great about the album; the relatively
constant quality of their music and
style makes a choice between any of
their albums seem arbitrary.
However, like any of their albums,
it is a quiet instrumental masterpiece.
Each song has its own plot; its own
unique progression of sound.
“Last Known Surroundings” starts
the album with the band’s signature
duet of layered guitars and drums.
“Trembling Hands,” the shortest song
on the album, sets a faster pace, with
racing drums and light vocals. For
those days when you would rather
lie down and relax, “Take Care, Take
Care, Take Care” is a great album. B+

Britney Spears is making a strong
comeback with her seventh album,
“Femme Fatale.” This upbeat album,
consisting of edgy pop songs, has so
far been a hit.
The title, “Femme Fatale,” means
an attractive and seductive woman, especially one who will ultimately bring
disaster to a man who becomes involved with her. Spears’ songs revolve
mainly around that theme, including
edgy, moody, and upbeat tracks. The
album was made in hopes of being
played in clubs or before going out
at night. It has definitely lived up to
expectations, consisting of a variety of
different danceable songs.
Other than the two singles, “Hold It
Against Me” and “Till the World Ends,”
the song that comes in third is “Drop
Dead Beautiful.” It is a song that can
be played over and over and I cannot
get tired of it because it is so upbeat
and fun. Spears, without a doubt, has
shown that she still knows how to
please an audience, producing music
that not only shows off her talent but is
entertaining. ACassidy Feeney

From spiritual to celestial; from
inner peace to outer space. In completing this album upon the death
of a close friend, Conor Oburst has
flipped his philosophical coin since
his last visit to a Florida commune.
“The People’s Key” is on a mission to
decipher how quantum mechanical
codes, prisms and triple spirals can
add up to the complexity and confusion of humankind. This new Bright
Eye’s masterpiece envelopes the voyage to the organic state of electronic
sound. The bursting howl and groan
of tortured Yamahas and the fluttering
of flutes and piano riffs, are more than
enough to send the mind on a journey as the poetisicsm of Oburst is laid
down over the tracks.
This is one of Oberst’s most listenable records to date. Every line is laid
with the rich sense of rhythm and
texture that he has mastered over the
years, but it still adds up to very little:
a wildly spiritual record without any
spirit. ABreonna Mabry

Jessica Stevenson
Staff Writer

W

Will Jones

L’Amour de la Mode Maverick

18 | MavLife | May 2011

Photo by Jessica Stevenson.

hile spring approached unhurried this year,
the fashions of the season have also leisurely made
their way into closets. Spring and summer ensembles are comprised of stripes, cropped tops, the
infamous romper, and the look of lace.
Striped attire has been a prevailing style for years
now. However, navy blue and white stripes are very
popular this season and will be seen even more once
summer hits. The color combination can remind you
of a sailor-look, but is very trendy and cute. The look
is most popular when applied to a top, a fun dress or
a simple tee. But watch out because the stripes are
dominant. Pair the stripes with something plain.
Cropped tops are not a new style for 2011, but
have always lingered as only a surfacing trend. This
season the cropped top is beginning to show up
more and more to accommodate the warm weather
around the corner. The top shows midriff, which
is a less mainstream style and more risqué than
other summer styles- the main reason the trend has
not become a hot item in past years. The look can
be achieved in a less body-revealing way by pair-

The fashion of spring

ing it with high-waist shorts or a skirt, by finding a
modified-long version of the “crop top.”
A few summers ago, the popular romper was seen
everywhere and a must have. Although it has gone
in and out of style since then, the piece known as
the “romper” was trendy this season. The loose and
flowing short style of the jumper is most popular for
summer, even though the lengthy styles have been
showing up more on runways. This more sophisticated, long look most likely will not become a
popular trend on campus.
Lace is a trend that hit runway summer season
and will continue to be a popular wardrobe item.
Lace dresses and skirts are becoming trendy in
spring. The lace itself will be be more of an antique
lace for a delicate look. Lace can also be a good
way to make a statement. Wearing the material as
a sheer garment is daring and can look amazing if
worn right.
Now with these trends and ideas for spring styles,
you can start organizing your summer wardrobe incorporating more lace, rompers, stripes and cropped
tops.

Entertainment

Gaga’s Monster Ball
Cassidy Feeney
Staff Writer
“The Monster Ball,” Lady Gaga’s highly
anticipated concert, was unlike any other show.
Along with her dedication and talent, the show
was full of energy, dedicated fans, and strange
costumes.
The night began with an American band
called the Scissor Sisters. The singers had very
revealing leather outfits and an impressive
amount of energy. Their music was quite a hit
with the Gaga fans.
After much anticipation, a giant screen
descended from the top of the building. Lady
Gaga appeared behind the screen in a futuristic
jeweled jumpsuit. She was hidden for most of
the first song, “Dance in the Dark.” Then for
the second song she put a jeweled keyboard
around her. As she began singing one of her
most known hits, “Just Dance,” she emerged
from a white cube.
Gaga rarely shows her face. She tends to hide
behind strange costumes that usually consist of
masks or headpieces that restrict the audience
from seeing her entire face. However, at some
points during the show, her face was completely exposed.
Aside from her biggest hits, Gaga also surprised the audience by including a new song,
“Living On The Radio”. She said that the song
most likely won’t appear on the new album, but
she feels as though it is the best piece she has
ever written.
Gaga played her newest song, “Born this
Way,” twice. With an acoustic version and an

Little monsters show their claws

encore at the end, she explained her thoughts
behind the song. Teased as a kid, her mother
always told her that one day she would be a
star, looking out on stage at all those people
that thought she would never be anything.
Gaga strongly supports being proud of who you
are and where you come from, not letting others make you feel inferior.
She also spent a lot of time making her fans
feel loved. She called to a fan in the audience,
telling her she gets backstage passes. She also
tried to clear up any myths people thought
about her, making very clear that she does not
lip sync.
There was so much energy within the crowd,
especially on the floor. The majority of the fans
dressed up for the event, showing their support
of Gaga’s individuality. Not only did the women
dress up, but so did the men. I saw more guys
in spandex and fishnets than women. It showed
how dedicated they are to Lady Gaga, proving
themselves as true “little monsters,” as Gaga
would call them.
Lady Gaga is much more genuine than I had
ever expected. Along with donating money to
many different charities and organizations, she
truly seems to care about her fans. She made a
strong effort to make it known that she is very
appreciative for where she is. Her speech about
how you shouldn’t let others bring you down
and to be proud of who you are was inspiring.
As Gaga said multiple times, “Put your claws
up, you were born this way.”

Advertisement for Lady Gaga’s concert tour, “The Monster Ball.”

Getting Cluttered?
How to spring clean effectively

Tara McQueen
Staff Writer
What is spring cleaning and why do we do it? According to a TLC article*, it is said to
be derived from the Persian New Year, Iranian Norouz, which falls on the first day of
Spring. Iranians still commit to the practice of “shaking the house,” in which everything
in the house is meticulously cleaned from top to bottom.
Others believe that spring cleaning comes from the Jewish holiday, Passover, where
the though ridding of left over “chametz,” or leavened products, occurs in Jewish homes
before the holiday.
During the 19th Century, in America, March was best known as the perfect time to dust
because the weather was warm, but not hot enough for insect problems. These origins of
spring cleaning all rest on the basic idea that spring is a season of purity and rebirth.
Need help getting started? Here are some steps and ideas to begin with:
* Start by deciding what to clean.
* Sort by separating objects into piles: “Trash,” “maybe,” and “keep.”
* After throwing away the trash, decide what you need to keep from your “maybe” pile
and either throw away or donate the rest out.
* Then arrange everything you want to keep in a manageable order. By doing so you’ve
systematically reorganized your stuff in order to continue keeping everything tidy and
neat throughout the year.
* Congratulations! You have successfully spring cleaned and purified yourself for a
brighter future.
Remember to keep in mind the following:
* Set reasonable expectations for your purge.
* Maybe make a chore or goal list if it is going to be a longer process.
* Find a place for everything. No cramming junk into the nooks and crannies!
* Make it enjoyable. Listen to music, do it with a friend, or reward yourself for your
hard work.
* http://TLC.howstuffworks.com/home/spring-clean-in-spring2.html

May 2011 | MavLife | 19

Entertainment

“The Wedding Singer” soars

Maggie Hammock
Staff Writer
Sandwiched between the busy weeks of STAR and
AP testing was a welcome break from the stress of
it all. The thespians performed the spring musical,
“The Wedding Singer,” through the end of April, and
had some of the best turnouts for a school play in
recent memory.
“The show was really different than “Cabaret,”
last spring’s musical, and most of the musicals we’ve
done in the past,” said Brooke Farnum, who plays
female lead Julia in the show. “While “Cabaret”
and some of the other shows we’ve done are really
intense, “The Wedding Singer” was just a really fun
show. The costumes and makeup were awesome,
and the cheesy 80s music was great. It was like night
and day compared to “Cabaret.”’
“The Wedding Singer” is based on the hit 1998
film of the same name. The musical largely follows
the same story line as the film, which starred Adam
Sandler opposite Drew Barrymore. However, some
plot and character elements were altered, which kept
the play exciting for even those who have already
seen the film.
The story follows Robbie Hart, a wedding singer,
who is left at the altar by his fiancée, Linda. Somehow Robbie is convinced to sing at another wedding,
where he inconveniently falls in love with the bride,
Julia. The show follows Robbie and Julia as they try
to make sense of their feelings for each other and the
people they are “supposed” to love.
“I played a few roles in the show, including a Cyndi
Lauper impersonator, so that was really fun,” said
Hannah Sloan, senior. “The characters are all super
funny like that, and the songs are very catchy.”
The cast prepared for the show by running lines,
practicing songs, and rehearsing dance numbers during their two and a half hour rehearsals.
“We practiced a lot,” said Sloan. “Four days a week
for about two months. As soon as ‘Macbeth’ ended we
began preparing for “The Wedding Singer.”’
Though they spent a lot of time working in the
theater, the actors were still able to have fun preparing for the musical.

Spring musical a success

Adam Bucci (12) serenades Brooke Farnum (12) before he is left at the altar. Photo by Bogdan Madurowicz.

“Preparing for the show was a lot of work and a big
time commitment, but it was so worth it in the end,”
said Anna Gagliardo, senior, a featured dancer in the
show. “The cast became so close, and we were able
to keep the shows really energetic. We were all so
excited to perform together, and the shows couldn’t
have gone any smoother!”
Indeed, the musical was fast-paced and funny,
with memorable comedic moments provided by
Aaron Roubitchek and Tom Knapp-Ramos, seniors,
and other supporting actors. Brooke Farnum, Adam
Bucci, and Paige Santangelo, seniors, as well as Ali
Madurowicz, junior, and other younger cast members, were able to demonstrate their vocal talents in
several powerful musical numbers.

The spring musical was the last time senior cast
members had the chance to perform on the stage
they commanded for four years, so they were pleased
with the show’s large turnout.
“Not just is it a rousing comedy, but these are your
fellow students and friends. We have been working
really hard on the show, and we would really appreciate a good audience,” said Kyle Gaan, senior, prior to
the musical’s opening. Many of the actors expressed
positive reactions at the consistently big crowds.
The show ran April 21-23, and 27-29, and was a
truly attention-grabbing performance that left audience members both entertained and amazed at the
talent of the cast.

Reflecting over Osama Bin Laden’s end
Breonna Mabry
Staff Writer
When Osama Bin Laden was finally
laid to rest, I couldn’t help but notice the
many tweeter feeds that were clearly
uncomfortable with celebrating his
death. I for one came to find myself
quickly disturbed with the image of
thousands of Americans parading in the
street in celebration for the death of a
human being.
I found that some agreed with me,
but they were a quiet minority, giving way to the much louder parade
mentality of the herd. People seemed
joyous, as if some patriotic victory had
been won. What is the real attitude the
world should share on the demise of Bin
Laden? Should we celebrate in his death
or mourn quietly? Should we revel in
his demise or take the more diplomatic
approach and remain stoic?
Being raised in a Christian home
I have always been taught that the
ability to love is the most valuable gift

A still shot of Obama announcing the mission that killed Osama Bin Laden.

a person can contain. In the religious
text of my faith we are asked to love our
enemies, bless those who curse you, do
good to those who hate us, and pray for
those who mistreat us and persecute us.
Considering that I live in a nation that is
78% Christian (according to the Census
Bereau), I found the response to Osama’s
death to be quite shocking.
Osama Bin Laden was, by definition,
an evil man. However, when I found out
that he had died, I was oddly somber.
I remember not feeling that way when
Saddam Hussein was captured (indeed I
was overjoyed about that), so I wondered
what was different.
Then I realized that the difference
was death. But why should I be sad that
an evil man died?
I think what it comes down to is that
deep down I know that Hell has another
occupant, and to me, that just doesn’t
seem victorious.

Join Journalism Next Year!
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May 2011 | MavLife | 21

Opinion

Fading Standards

Jordan Bernard
Staff Writer

AP teachers should balance rigor with relaxation

The first two weeks in May mark
the finish line for students enrolled
in Advanced Placement (AP) classes.
Within these two weeks 31 tests are
given, each test a reflection on a
course that students have struggled
with and tackled throughout the year.
Unlike any test given by a teacher
in the class, these tests will not reflect
your grade in the course, however,
they test your full knowledge of the
specific course. Students in AP classes
work to the bone up until May, taking
the classes hoping to receive passing
scores and college credit.
However, on May 13 when the last
exam is taken there are still five weeks
left in school. For some students this
means that homework deadlines and
in-class work cease to exist, while
for others they work hard until the
last bell on June 17. Unfortunately,
students’ work ethic does not always
represent their teachers’ ideas of work
ethic after the AP exams.
Having been in a number of AP
classes I have seen both extremes.
Some teachers continue on like AP
tests were merely a small goal in the
overall scheme of things, while others
wipe their hands of their teaching requirements as soon as the proctor an-

Advanced Placement (AP) study materials. Photo by Maggie Hammock

nounces the exam done.
While most students would love the
idea of just hanging out in class for
the remainder of the year, the reality
is that after about a week this be-

comes unbearably boring. The best
way to go about filling the space is to
do activities that cover material that
would not be on the AP tests and that
allow students to work with others in

creative and fun ways.
The AP US History department
assigns their students a “Decade
Project” for the last five weeks. This
project focuses on areas that were not
explored deeply and that are, in most
cases, more interesting and relevant to
students. This one was of the most enjoyable projects I have been assigned
in high school. Although it did not provide me with information that would
have helped boost my score, it allowed
me to learn about relatively current
events and was actually beneficial for
the “real world.”
Other teachers do pig dissections,
science extravaganzas, and read books
that are not on a required reading list.
While these assignments may not be
candy and a movie, every day they contrast the common monotony that most
students dislike about their classes
before the AP exams hit.
So, while it is not a grand idea for
teachers to assign massive projects and
tests that are irrelevant to the course
as a whole, it is necessary for a happy
medium to be met. Students should be
challenged and active in the last weeks
before the end, or else by the time
summer rolls around we will already
be bored out of our minds.

Under Pressure

The SAT defines student intelligence, not talent

Lisa Mazzone and Rebecca Sykes
Staff Writers

It is the beginning of the end for

juniors. At such a young age, it’s that
time of the year to start planning for
the future by preparing or even taking
the SAT. On a Saturday morning you
can find about 25% of a high school’s
student body at a nearby school taking the atrocious SAT. This test is four
hours long but determines four years
of one’s life.
There are ten sections on the test
and students began with the essay
prompt. With only twenty-five minutes
to write a well thought out essay, students race the clock to finish on time.
The remaining nine sections consist of
math and English questions ranging
from intermediate to difficult.
The average high school student is
thrown into a mix of emotions in their
preparation for the SAT. Countless
hours of cramming from Princeton
prep books and attending special classes are all the signs that the SAT is in
the air. Across the world students are
preparing for their future in numerous

ways but all strive to be successful.
The comparison for U.S. students
preparing for college differs from other
nations in the world such as China
or India. In a USA Today article dated
September 13 2010, research was conducted on the effectiveness of schools
preparation for college readiness. This
article states that, “America’s students
are not completing college at a high
rate because our education system
is not preparing them to succeed in
college. If we want to improve college
completion, we have to improve college readiness. If we want to improve
readiness we have to measure it.”
Overall, scores have declined not
drastically, but enough to question the
educational system students are put in.
The same article also stated that “reading scores have declined from 508 to
501, math from 518 to 516. Writing
scores have dropped five points since
that section was added in 2005, from
497 to 492.”
As current juniors taking part in
this test, we believe that this test is

22 | MavLife | May 2011

unnecessary for determining one’s
future. Our future should be based on
our work ethic and not some number
we get on a test. This number does not
define us as human beings, but defines
our intelligence and is a vital factor in
applying to college.
We understand this helps colleges enroll students based on these

scores but these scores do not reveal
other talents we have to offer. The test
should include a personality test or a
short answer section of past experiences. The blood, sweat and tears put
into this test should reflect on the type
of student, versus labeling the student with a number that was acquired
through four hours on one day.

Opinion

Educational Crisis on the Big Screen
Breonna Mabry
Staff Writer
dent, documentaries such as “Waiting for Superman”
and “Race to Nowhere” are on the rise. These movies
are both meant to serve as glimpses for the general
public about how the educational system works, and
pose the viewer to ask questions as to how it may be
flawed, and how these issues should be addressed.
In “Waiting for Superman” the biggest claim to
educational failure is poor teachers. The film analyzes the failures of American public education by

{

{

. . . homework leads to stress,
hatred of learning and a lack of
intrinsic motivation.

following several students through the educational
system who are hoping to be selected in a lottery for
acceptance into charter schools. Within these schools
the teachers have no tenure and can be fired at any
moment if their work is to be found as “unsatisfactory.”
Now I’m not gonna lie; we have all had teachers that clearly shouldn’t be allowed within ten feet
of a white board, but is this really the sole cause of
America’s failing educational system? I think not.
“Race to Nowhere’s” biggest claim is that too
much homework leads to stress, hatred of learning
and a lack of intrinsic motivation. According to re-

Alex Meeks
Staff Writer

With a touching message, the movie “Waiting

for Superman” captures viewers and implores them
to consider the flaws of the American educational
system.
Writer and director Davis Guggenheim documents the story of five ambitious young children and
their dreams to attain admittance to specific charter
schools. He tells the struggles of detrimental family environments and how the children strive to live
above the influence of their drug-addicted, alcoholic,
or financially-hindered parents. In addition to sending off a message to appreciate education, “Waiting
for Superman” also notes the displeasing aspect of
school lottery systems and how terrible it is to be
literally denied a better education.
The magnet and charter schools mentioned in the
film have students admitted based on class size and
the space available at each school site. According to
“Waiting for Superman,” a magnet school can determine the entire outcome of a student’s educational
career.
It is of course great news when the hopeful and
prospective students are granted admission into
these magnet school, but on the contrary, we never
really know what happens to the students who are
denied. Where do they go? We would assume they
simply have no choice but to attend some other
school nearby (which most denied students do).
However, what if the nearest school happens to be
private and too expensive? What if the next option is
more than forty miles away? The movie “Waiting for

search cited in the film, after two hours of homework,
there is no correlating improvement in information
retention. Yet parents, educators, universities and students all subscribe to the myth that more effort equals
elite performance.
Schools require students to earn better test scores
so teachers can receive better pay, which results in
eliminating project-based hands-on learning in favor
of test-specific teaching.
This to me is the flaw. Pedagogically speaking, according to the Education Services Branch of California Education Authority, this strategy results in 50% of
students entering California State universities requiring remedial reading and math courses to perform at
minimum college levels. No one is winning here.
“Race to Nowhere” spreads the blame around:
No Child Left Behind, bubble tests, too much mindnumbing homework and -- yes -- parents who are
more concerned with their own social status than
with the health and well being of their children.
My personal belief is that we live in an age where
information overload is the norm and survival
requires developing better boundaries and communication skills. The most important question is,
“Are we helping children become passionate lifelong
learners?” Anything that gets in the way of that goal
should be identified and removed. Period. Passion and
innovation are our most precious natural resources to
inspire and grow.

Superman” answers these apprehensive questions.
I was taken aback to know that if these questions
aren’t answered, it could essentially result in an intelligent child being labeled a dropout because he/she
was stricken by exterior factors.
It is also shameful that some students skip school
when there are plenty underprivileged individuals striving to be taught. You would think that our
nation’s vast wealth and advanced industrialization
could better this problem, but in actuality, no dramatic measures have been taken. Nothing has changed,
other than producing a movie that tells people to

{

{

As the need for educational reform becomes evi-

. . . it could essentially result in
an intelligent child being labeled a
dropout because he/she was stricken by exterior factors.

await a hero to save them from this education crisis.
Though this movie significantly lacked exposure to
the younger crowd, the message is still relevant and it
is definitely worth seeing. After watching this movie,
you will most likely have a clearer understanding about controversial issues present in the school
system. You might even find yourself being inspired
to explore other ways to get involved with improving
education in less fortunate schools. Or even better,
realize how fortunate we are to be growing and learn
ing on our remarkable campus.

Visit www.racetonowhere.com for upcoming showings.
“Waiting for Superman” is available on DVD.